How Does Destination Country Impact Remittance Flows of International Labor Migrants? A Test of Stepwise Migration Theory
Class
Article
Department
Sociology, Social Work, and Anthropology
Faculty Mentor
Christy Glass
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract
Previous theory suggests that international migrants in the contemporary global economy follow an increasingly complex path to their ideal destination. One such theory is Paul's Stepwise Migration Theory. This theory posits that international migrants have a hierarchy of various destination countries, each ranked by personal preference. In many cases, migrants are not able to directly migrate from their origin country to their most desired destination country. Therefore, they make various migrations, developing their skillset and economic capital along the way, until they are suitable for their desired destination. Building upon Paul's Stepwise Migration Theory, I will examine the effects of out-migration destination choice on the amount, type, and frequency of remittances received by over 1,900 households in the Bicol region of the Philippines that currently have out-migrants abroad. I will pair the destination country information with remittance information for the different households, and see whether there is a significant relationship between destination and economic gain, as suggested by Stepwise Migration Theory. I suggest that the driving factors of global labor migration are as complicated in the contemporary world as Stepwise Migration Theory suggests, and that migrants' strategic destination choices are deeply embedded in long-term, multiple-destination strategies. This analysis hopes to further illustrate the complexities of labor migration patterns and in the 21st century's global economy.
Start Date
4-9-2015 12:00 PM
How Does Destination Country Impact Remittance Flows of International Labor Migrants? A Test of Stepwise Migration Theory
Previous theory suggests that international migrants in the contemporary global economy follow an increasingly complex path to their ideal destination. One such theory is Paul's Stepwise Migration Theory. This theory posits that international migrants have a hierarchy of various destination countries, each ranked by personal preference. In many cases, migrants are not able to directly migrate from their origin country to their most desired destination country. Therefore, they make various migrations, developing their skillset and economic capital along the way, until they are suitable for their desired destination. Building upon Paul's Stepwise Migration Theory, I will examine the effects of out-migration destination choice on the amount, type, and frequency of remittances received by over 1,900 households in the Bicol region of the Philippines that currently have out-migrants abroad. I will pair the destination country information with remittance information for the different households, and see whether there is a significant relationship between destination and economic gain, as suggested by Stepwise Migration Theory. I suggest that the driving factors of global labor migration are as complicated in the contemporary world as Stepwise Migration Theory suggests, and that migrants' strategic destination choices are deeply embedded in long-term, multiple-destination strategies. This analysis hopes to further illustrate the complexities of labor migration patterns and in the 21st century's global economy.